Sankofa Radio Toronto | WHAT WE HAVE NOT OBSERVED

Since we came into this country, we have been so indecisive that nothing concrete has been done. “We will soon go” is the mantra. How can we live this way? The few of us who are enlightened by the system have been the most successful in many ways; especially in Real Estate, being career orientated, in business, children’s training, building and making worth for our families.

Instead of building something permanent, all that we are doing and making is temporal. Basically, we forget the fact that there is a family responsibility over here to take care of. We live here and there and because of this, even all that we are doing back home has been marginalized. We are not making any progress both here and there. This is affecting many aspects of our social, economic, psychological, moral, our spiritual and physical lives.

OUR SOCIAL LIVES

Society is very important, within which we have our community. How people are inter-connected is vital. There are people who are not known or seen in many of our community programs and activities because they are busy working. Ghanaians are so entangled with jobs that we don’t even go on vacation. Our only vacation is to go to Ghana where we keep ourselves even busier than here because we have just a few days and want to do many things all at the same time. We don’t rest but go about building our houses, selling stuff we have shipped and resolving our external family issues. Before we realize it, those few days are gone. Many don’t get time to sit with their families and talk with them, discuss important issues or talk about developments. To the extent of not asking their children how school is going, helping them with their homework or assisting financially in their education. This is affecting the level of education in our community. Children struggle to finish college and university, even high school due to this. The very few that are enlightened and serious are progressing greatly. Marriages are dissolving and divorce is the system of the day. We don’t live in peace but in pieces. Broken homes and destitute children are what we see and hear of. Of men running away from child support and resigning their responsibilities to the women. Of children joining gangs and running away from home. Some involved in using or selling drugs and ending up in prisons. What’s going on with our society? This is very bad and is having a very negative effect on our children.

ECONOMICAL LIVES

Economically we are not excelling in the sense that many are still living below the poverty line. Many that were supposed to go to school and get better jobs have been working at factories since they came. Many are still living in apartments not houses; paying for rent instead of buying houses and paying a mortgage as an automatic savings - even though it may not be guaranteed. Look at how the real estate market is booming. If you’ve been here for the last 30 years, look at how the market is escalating. We are not building worth for the next generation like the Italians, Jews and the Indians are doing. Consequently, for many years we’ve been here and are still living below the poverty level. We die without life insurance, leaving behind debt to be paid off by our families instead of leaving behind wealth. White families become rich when parents die but with ours, it’s the opposite.

PSYCHOLOGICAL LIVES

Our psychological life, our cognitive abilities, simply put - how we think is very important. Many things are affecting our mindset and thinking capacity. We see and hear of depression impacting our community more so now than before. We have people who suffer from depression, losing their minds, family or all they have. Many are going crazy because of troubled or failing marriages, finances, children’s disobedience and other issues. Many end up in psychiatric hospitals or die prematurely by committing suicide. This is not good to hear and is very concerning.

MORAL LIVES

Our moral life is also very important as cultured people. That is to say, how we behave and conduct ourselves. Back home we were trained to respect elders and we were disciplined. The word discipline is from the word disciple which means to be trained. Our cultural upbringing is different from how the system here teaches and trains a child. Let’s not forget that we are Ghanaians and cannot change to be whites. The fact that we cannot enforce our cultural norms here doesn’t mean we shouldn’t insist on discipline. We can discipline our children in many ways without picking up a belt or Fufu stick. Without slapping them we can still be resolute with disciplinary measures. There must be a home mechanism to teach morals. Whether you’re a Christian or not; there must be disciple in your home. Our well-known character traits are eroding gradually and before we realize it, it will be too late.

OUR HEALTH OR PHYSICAL LIVES

We have become self-centered people with money making ventures but we hardly make enough to be satisfied with. However, we forget the fact that our body is the temple of God. Any abuse or failure to bring your physical body into shape is a sin against your Maker. If you cannot make it to the gym, leave your car and walk to the grocery store at least once or twice a week. As opined by Martin Luther King Junior: “if you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward”. We are blessed to have free medical assistance but how often do we visit our physicians for the yearly checkups that could save us from many incurable diseases and premature deaths.

OUR SPIRITUAL LIVES

Our spiritual life is paramount. Serving our Maker is an obligation we must all take seriously. Many were very religious back home but upon reaching our “promised land”, have since backslidden from the Lord. We don’t go to church to worship anymore or listen to sermons that can change us. Our lives are circled around work and other less consequential things. No one has ever regretted accepting Jesus as their saviour, yet we treat Him as an option and not a priority until we need Him. We are living lives that are not upright or stable and are just floating around. Living here and there and destroyed our lives. Things are falling apart and the center cannot hold them together. Even the women of war are no longer at ease. A man has a wife here but will go back home and marry another as if God is not watching. People leave their families behind; go home to get involved in many demonic activities all for money and fame. What are we heading towards? The enemy is taking advantage of us, even killing many of those without Christ. We are in the end times and all the predictions of Jesus are coming to pass. Let’s get to know Jesus and the power of His resurrection. The ultimate purpose of being here is to serve God so that when we die we will have eternal life.

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